A joint editorial in 13 mainland newspapers has called on the nation's top legislative body to abolish the hukou system - strict population controls that have split the country into rural and urban areas for decades.
The editorial appeared in metropolitan newspapers from 11 provinces and areas yesterday on the eve of the annual meetings of the National People's Congress, beginning on Friday, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, beginning tomorrow.
The papers include The Economic Observer in Beijing, the Chongqing Times, The Southern Metropolitan News in Guangdong, the Inner Mongolia Morning News, the Dahe Daily in Henan and the Southeast Express in Fujian .
Media watchers said such joint efforts by newspapers were voluntary but infrequent.
'Most of these 13 newspapers have a semi-official background but they do enjoy free will, to some degree, concerning social topics and supervision by public opinion,' Liu Jinsong , a journalism professor from Shenzhen University, said. 'The joint editorial looks like a co-operative act by the newspapers, not something instigated by the government.
'Its publication at this sensitive moment does show the soaring appeal among the public for abolition of the population policy.'
Jin said it was likely the media would co-operate more frequently along similar lines in the future to increase their influence on hot social issues.